Perfect
by TempeGeller
Summary: Teenager Daniella Mills is tired of moving every time her single mom Regina has another personal meltdown involving yet another second-rate guy. To distract her mother from her latest bad choice, Daniella conceives the perfect plan for the perfect suitor.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The story of a girl on the move**

 **Daniella**

All my life I wanted my mother to have a healthy relationship. I don't mind the moving around; I love seeing all parts of the country. What bothers me is my mother's unhappiness. She's gone through a lot of guys; sometimes I wondered if she could handle all the heartbreak coming her way. It never seems to stop.

She had told me Graham was different. She told me he was a gentleman. I didn't know if I needed to believe this or if she tried to convince herself. He was a handsome man, and he had always been nice to Henry and me. Henry truly believed he could be the one. Me on the other hand, I hoped things would end well. My basic instinct about Graham told me something else. I seem to feel these things, and it isn't that I hate boys. I wouldn't prefer my mother dating a woman. My mother always thought me openness and privacy. So when I was fifteen, she told me it was okay for me to be gay. She told me she was bisexual herself. The strange thing was there had only been four girlfriends in all this time. And they were just as wrong. I wanted things to go well with her and Graham, but if they didn't, we would move again. The relationship had been going on for a well, so somehow I hoped. I hoped we wouldn't have to move.  
I knew that moment would come, yet I hoped that it wouldn't. Right now I was standing in front of the mirror. I was wearing a blood red dress. It looked great on me; my dark black hair was going great with it. And my red lips were beautiful with it. I turned to Ruby.  
"You look awesome. Turn." Ruby said, taking her phone from her purse. I turned around. I had to admit I looked forward to this prom; I didn't have a date. I simply planned to go with Ruby; we were best friends after all.  
"I cannot believe that you talked me into this."  
"I thought you said you've been to like a million schools," Ruby replied.  
"Schools, a million," I answered. "Dances, zero. It's like that when you move around as much as I do. You don't get attached. I never stayed long enough to go dancing. My mother falls in love with someone and when they break up with her. She gets so heartbroken that she needs to move somewhere else. "  
"What about your father?"  
"He died when I was 12. That's when everything started."  
I heard the door open up, and inside I heard Graham say things. I didn't know what he was saying, so I opened the door to the living room. Ruby followed me inside; there I saw my mother. Her name was Regina; she was the best mother I could ever imagine, there was not one thing she wouldn't do for Henry and me. All I wanted was her happiness. I stared at Graham; I could hear him say that he had been cheating on her. He told her that there was more than one girl. My mother threw the cake she had just made to his face. She turned around, that's when she saw me. There were tears in her eyes. That moment there was an understanding between us. I knew we were going to move. There was a pain in her eyes, and I knew she needed to leave this town. I turned to Ruby and ran towards my room. I threw myself on the bed and looked at the wall.  
"So does that mean you're not going to the dance?"  
"It means we're moving." I wanted to tell Ruby; she had been my best friend during this month. I wanted to tell her that I would keep in touch. I knew it would be difficult. I had lost all my previous friends, yet Ruby was different. I had never had a friend like Ruby before; she was the best person you would ever meet. She was the coolest girl in school, and she had chosen to be my friend. I could never understand why. I didn't say anything to her. She looked at me. We sat there for an hour and then she went home. She promised me to send me a letter. She promised she wouldn't lose touch. I didn't know if I needed to believe her.

When Ruby was gone, my mother had entered the room. She had told me that we would move to New York. We were going to live in a small house in Brooklyn. I had to admit I always wanted to move to New York. Maybe I would even get tickets to Hamilton. It was the hottest musical on Broadway right now. I asked my mother if she was okay. She nodded softly. She told me any pain she had would go away. I was unsure if I could believe her. I wanted to; I wanted to believe every word my mother said. There was a part of me that didn't believe her.  
"Mom, I know you're in pain," I said.  
"That doesn't matter." She touched my cheek. "I'm happy when you're happy. Trust me we'll be very happy in New York. I mean you love musicals, don't you? I promise to take you to this Ham something."  
"Hamilton."  
"Whatever you want, sweetheart."

She stood up, touched my forehead and left the room. I could see a hurt in her eyes; no way was going away in the next few hours. I walked towards my bed, pulled my suitcase from underneath it and started packing. I had bought this suitcase for a trip I had missed. There were so many things I missed by moving around. I was lucky that I kept my high marks, but I missed a normal high school life. Henry and I had gone to more than 20 schools. We had moved around, and I was keeping a list of the states I had not lived in yet. I had already crossed New York from that list. I stared at my blog; there were comments on it. People loved when I wrote about traveling around. Some people wanted my life. They thought it was all fun. Not being able to have normal friends and a normal home was not fun. I went to my closet and took my clothes from it. I placed them in the bag. I stared at the red dress hanging from the closed. I placed it back in its bag. I wouldn't be wearing this anytime soon. I wouldn't don't have a first boyfriend anytime soon. I was 17 years old; I was a girl who loved books. I was planning to become a librarian when I was older. I lay down on the bed, and for a moment I enjoyed the quiet time. I closed my eyes for just a moment, and when I opened them again, my mother was standing in front of me.  
"Time to pack, missy." She said as a smile appeared on her face.  
"Mom." I cursed as I turned around on the bed.  
"Dani, I know this is not fun for you." She said. "You were finally making friends, and now I'm deciding to screw it up. "  
"I'm okay, mom." I gave her a soft smile. "Time to move."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey**

 **I honestly had no idea if people were interested in this story. So I wrote a new chapter, to see if people want to see more. Please review.**

 **If you like this, follow or favorite the story. Any suggestions are always welcome. Any comment is welcome. You can criticize it. I take anything, that can make me a better writer.**

 **TempeGeller**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: New York, New York**

When we drove into Brooklyn, I watched the New York skyline. I remember being in New York; I lived there twice in fact. It was the place where I lived with my father; it was the city where he died. On that fateful day that darkest day of my life. I think I returned there when I was about fourteen. We lived in an apartment.  
My mother tried to make the drive there as nice as possible. For Henry. My mother didn't want to show her emotions to him, yet Henry knew what she felt before she said anything. Regina looked at me.  
"I promise, I'll protect my heart better this time." I didn't react to that. I couldn't possibly say that it couldn't be true. If I did, I would be the villain in this narrative. I didn't want to be that. I never wanted to be that.

"Let's play a game." Regina smiled. "I spy with my little a something, and it's yellow."  
"The cab's of New York." I rolled my eyes.  
"You can't possibly see them." Henry looked around. "Is it that yellow bug?"  
"Your turn."

I was distracted. I didn't feel like saying anything. I felt like writing down my feelings, I felt like writing on my blog. My mother knew about it; she even started reading it. I didn't know if I could be fair, yet my mother insisted. She told me, she started reading the blog to get to know me better. It was weird; somehow I felt that my mother was writing my diary. A very public diary. One that everyone could read, but it was always different when it was your mother who read the content. After a few hours, I had arrived in New York.

* * *

 **BLOG ENTRY** **22/12/2017**

 **It seems that I excel at moving. I don't know if that's sad or accidental. I mean it took us a day to unpack every box. I don't know if there is a record for unpacking boxes. If so, I might be a champion.  
When I look at New York, I feel like I never want to leave. I want this to my endgame. I want mom's next love to be her endgame.**

 **However,** **that seems difficult. You can't predict if someone is going to be your true love. If you could, if a feeling could only tell if you…  
If I could protect my mother from being hurt.  
She's a gentle soul, the sweetest woman I have ever met. There is not one person better than her. She deserves someone who needs her.  
She needs someone who counts on her.**

 **She needs that ugly duckling, so they can both discover their swans.  
She deserves anything and everything.**

 **I wish the perfect were out there.**

* * *

When I opened my laptop that next day, I read a couple of comments.

* * *

Writerfreak202: DaniMills I still believe that perfect is out there. There has to be someone who will love your mother as much as your father did. #Relationshipgoals

RubyRed: You can never give up on that hope, It makes life worth living. #truloveisoutthere I believe in you, Dani.

DaniMills: Thanks, Ruby. I truly miss you.

* * *

I answered them. Then I removed my laptop from my lap. I got ready for school; I decided to take a book. I didn't expect to make friends on that first day. I left with my favorite book to give me strength. I was not afraid that the book would not make me the perfect friend. I was looking for people that were the same as me. I wanted friends who liked to read. So when I got to school, I chose a bench.  
"Jane Eyre, huh." Someone said. "I love Jane Eyre."  
She said down beside me; she had long wavy brown hair. Her eyes were bright blue. She had pale cheeks. She was wearing a long black coat with matching Ravenclaw scarf and hat.  
"We, Ravenclaws, should stick together."  
"You know I never do anything like this." She looked at me. "Walk up to people, you know. My shrink says I need to get over my social anxiety. You reading Jane Eyre, I take it as a sign. We were destined to meet."  
"You believe that kind of things?"  
"My uncle does." She smiled. "Uncle David. He says he was supposed to meet his wife. They have this saying that they will always find their way to each other. You would believe in destiny if you knew them. So yes, I believe this is a sign."  
"I'm Daniella. Dani for first."  
"I'm Annabelle." She replied. "Belle for short."

"Nice to meet you, Belle. "  
She stayed with me that very first day. I didn't know if Belle and I were supposed to meet. I found it a lucky coincidence. We were so similar; we liked the same kind of books. And we binge watched the same series.  
"Do you know how impossible it is to get Hamilton tickets?" Belle smiled. "I would do about anything for tickets. "  
"I believe getting Hamilton tickets, might be the impossible ticket in the universe."

We laughed, that moment I believed that maybe she had been right. Maybe we were supposed to meet; maybe there was something like destiny. And at that moment I thought that maybe my mother could meet the right person.

* * *

 **BLOG ENTRY 23/12/2017**

 **I think meeting a new friend can make a day unforgettable. I suppose she's a lot like me. In all reality, I think Belle is a wonderful person. That first day we hang out at the library. We are in a lot of the same classes, which only adds to the idea we were destined to meet. We were destined to be great friends. I even feel that we are supposed to do great things together.  
The only problem is that I don't know what we're supposed to do. I can't help it might change my life.**

RubyRed: I'm so glad you met a new friend, but don't forget the cool friend you had in Storybrooke. BTW, please invite me to New York.

DaniMills: Yes, we have to hang out together. When can you make it to New York?

RubyRed: If I had money, I would already be there. Maybe I can get there around Christmas. Do nothing crazy without me.

Bee: What are you guys talking about? Nice blog, Dani.

* * *

I closed my laptop; I had told Belle about the blog I started. She said she would search for it, little did I knew she would find it that fast. I liked the idea of Ruby and Belle hanging out together. I imagined Ruby wouldn't make it to New York by Christmas. Ruby's grandmother was poor; they couldn't pay for that trip. I wish it weren't true.  
When I opened my facebook page, I noticed a new message.

Geekybee: Hey, how are things going?

I looked at the words written, at first glance I didn't know what I needed to answer. I didn't know if I needed to tell her about why we had been moving. In all truth, she had not asked about my life's story. I believed it would come up some time.

Daniells: Great, how about you?

She started typing right away. I looked in anticipation of what she was writing; somehow we always hope that everyone is happy. It seems that we always believe the other person is always happier than we are. In most cases, this is likely not the truth.

Geekybee: Mom's depressed, she is…

DaniMills: I get the feeling, I have one of those at home.

Geekybee: Her love life is a mess. Not just a mess, it seems that she has lost all belief in love. She had four big loves.

DanyMills: And they left her?

Geekybee: You can phrase it that way.

DanyMills: I get it, my mother gets dumped all the time.

Geekybee: She doesn't get dumped, they keep dying on her.

It was the last thing I had expected. I thought my mother had the worst love life; she had been dumped over twenty times. She had only lost one lover to death, yet Belle's mother was worst. She had lost four lovers to death; I didn't believe something like that was even possible. You always believe that life has more decency than that. I mean there has to be a limit to the pain you can deal with. It seemed that it didn't.  
Life threw you pain, and if you couldn't handle it, it would throw you twice as much. That was why people ended up in asylums. They lost their sanity. It seemed that it proved that there was no true love.

DanyMills: I'm sorry, Belle. It seems your mother is right. True love, doesn't exist.

Geekybee: Then how do you explain my uncle?

DanyMills: The exception. Belle, I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Geekybee: Talk to you tomorrow.

* * *

That next morning Belle was already waiting for her. She looked at Belle in a whole different way. Right now Belle was the daughter of a woman who had known pain. She was the daughter of a woman that did not believe in love.  
Her mother was different, Regina did believe in love. At least that was when she got somewhere. She would always get active on Tinder until she found a guy. That guy would always be bad for her. That was how it worked.  
"So your mother has been dumped more than twenty times?" Belle looked at her. "And she moves each time?"  
"Yes, every city starts of hopeful," I replied. "She desperately hoped for love. In the first few weeks, she can't seem to find that perfect love, and she settles for the jerk type. Of course, those types end up hurting her, and then we end up moving again."  
"I thought you said you liked moving around the country?"  
"I do." I looked at Belle. "I just think that somehow I would like to have a place to call home."

We walked to class, it was Wednesday, and we were taking literature. Behind me, I sat down in the back of the class. Before me there was a young man wearing glasses, I didn't know why I looked at him. He seemed like a nice person. Right in front of him, there was a copy of Pride and Prejudice. It was one of my favorite books of all time.  
"Are you the Mister Darcy type?" I asked him. He looked at me with his blue eyes. He wore oval glasses; a thin smile appeared on his face.  
"I consider myself more of a Mister Knightly." He smiled. "Waiting to meet an Emma and not noticing right away we're so obviously mending to be together."  
"That's Archie Hopper." Belle introduced him. "Archie, this is Dani Mills. Archie and I have been friends since the day was were born. It seems that social anxiety brings us together. Isn't that right Archie?" He nodded.

"You know my grandmother worked at a mill." I smiled. "It was a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away."  
"My father belonged to the circus." I laughed.  
"He's serious about this."

The next moment Belle's attention was taken away by a boy who entered the room. He had long way grown hair; his eyes were green. I didn't know why he took Belle's attention away.  
"That's Rumpelstiltskin Gold," Archie explained. "Belle…"  
"You can't prove that."

* * *

Belle spent the rest of class watching Rumpelstiltskin Gold. I was very unsure how to look at him. He didn't look like the type I wanted to be associated with. He was a source of mystery and most of the items that made someone uninteresting to me. When class was over, Belle stood up and announced she had something to show me. We made our way down New York, where we ended up in a small restaurant called: 'the Charmings.' It was a quiet dinner, one where I would like to take my mother. I even wanted to note down the address. When I came in, I heard a loud voice.  
"What did you do?" I didn't know what was going on, but the man seemed to be talking to another man about their conquest.

"Here's the type, flowers always work." I looked at him in confusion, did he truly believe this cool shit? I rolled my eyes, of course, it couldn't be working. Why did boys have to solve problems by giving flowers? What was wrong with gifting someone their favorite book? Or something like that.  
"You can't go cheap either."  
"Does he mean you have to buy their love?" I asked in disgust.

He put the phone down. Then he stepped in front of us. He looked charming. He seemed like the kind of guy any woman would choose for.  
"I believe that you're not buying someone's love. It's a way of showing what you feel. Flowers can do a lot for someone."  
"Flowers don't help if they're bad guys."

"Giving someone flowers can change their lives. It can make them believe in the small chance that there is hope out there. And believing in just the smallest chance of a happy ending is a powerful thing. Flowers proof that perfection is out there, and that she can find it. Put the right card with a flower, and it makes them believe in love again. If you send them an orchid, she believes life has endless possibilities."  
I listened to his words, but I was very unsure that I believed them. When I left the restaurant, I thought about one thing. What if I send a flower? What if I created a perfect suitor?

DaniMills: Do you think we can send mom a flower to make her believe in love?

GeekyBee: Can we send my mother one too? From the perfect person…

DaniMills: Perfect…

* * *

 **AN: Don't forget to review! Please! Pretty please with sugar on top.**


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